Would make one not so fond of pewter! In a message dated 8/3/2007 3:53:22 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes: Our archivist came across a letter written in 1917 to a local collector from an antiques dealer describing how to clean pewter. We amazed and somewhat horrified at what it contained, so I thought I’d excerpt it here for everyone’ s enjoyment. Clean old pewter as follows: First prepare a solution containing water, 1 gallon, caustic soda, 8 ounces, and common rosin, ½ ounce. Heat the solution to 200 degrees F, and immerse the articles in same from 5 to 10 minutes, then remove and washing in cold water. Second, immerse for a few minutes in a hydrofluoric acid dip composed of 1 part acid to 6 parts of water. Then wash in water. Third, instead of cutting down with Tripoli, scour with a very soft Tampico brush and lime paste to produce a clean surface afterwards, then wash and dry thoroughly, then buff the surface with white lime and kerosene oil. Finally wash in benzene or gasoline and dry out with fine maple sawdust. If you are fond of pewter it will pay you to keep this and any old worn pewter piece can be made like new. Heidi Campbell-Shoaf, Curator Historical Society of Frederick County 24 East Church Street Frederick, Md. 21701 www.hsfcinfo.org Pamela Silvestri, Seasonal State Parks Interpretive Guide Northeast States Civilian Conservation Corps Museum Shenipsit State Forest Headquarters 166 Chestnut Hill Road Stafford Springs, Connecticut 06076 Telephone: (860) 684-3430 e-mail: [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask] ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).